Ingol Belle: Audi to Unveil New A5 Coupe on June 2

Davey G. Johnson

May 3, 2016

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When the current Audi A5 [pictured above] initially launched, the masses and the media alike were taken aback by its utter loveliness, and it’s a testament to the car’s essential rightness of form that it’s only begun to look dated in the past three years or so. Remember, this is a car that made its debut nine years ago at the Geneva auto show. On June 2, we’ll see its successor, which will be unveiled in Ingolstadt at the end of a six-day festival of lights at the Audi Forum.

Prepared by a Hungarian art collective auspiciously named “Maxin10sity,” the shows will run 10 minutes each, beginning May 25. According to Audi Artistic Advisor Herr Professor Doktor Klaus Schrenk, “The prizewinning team of Maxin10sity applies the most advanced technology: computer-generated images and sounds create a new visual reality; technology and art merge into one. In this way, the artistic side of the ‘Audi Late Light Show’ provides a spectacular reflection of the technology company Audi.” We enjoyed reading that statement in a thoughtful German accent.

The final show, on June 2, will celebrate the unveiling of the next-generation A5. More than a simple refresh, the new car will be built on VW Group’s MLB Evo platform. Expect its U.S. powertrains to mirror those of its close sibling, the A4, which means an all-gasoline lineup until VW Group figures a way out of its diesel kerfuffle. Figure a 252-hp 2.0 turbocharged four, a 354-horse twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 for the sportlich S5 variant, and a more heavily boosted version of the six for a future RS5 producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 475 horsepower. If there’s a manual transmission option, we’ll be shocked. Pleasantly so, but shocked nonetheless.

The coupe and convertible are a virtual lock for the U.S. market, although sources at Audi tell us that no decision has been made as to whether to bring over the hatchy Sportback variant. While Europe may see the car go on sale later in 2016, we wouldn’t expect it stateside until sometime next year, likely as a 2018 model.